Sir Magnus is an award winning Pop/EDM artist and songwriter, originally born in Syracuse but now based in Las Vegas. After over a decade being successful in the corporate world he decided something was missing from his life and that was music, his first love. He made the bold decision to relocate to Las Vegas and began his musical career. He’s since had a lot of success with releases including Lips, Grand Central Station and The Decree EP, amongst others. This led to him winning a SAMMY award and he has become a leading voice in the black artistic community. His experimental albums The Infinity Cove Sessions were praised highly by critics including myself (read here and here).
This latest release, Gamble, is a collaboration with the DJ Alex Robataillie. It’s an upbeat, highly infectious house track with a tropical vibe, making it perfect for an eve of summer release. Built around a vibrant 2/4 house groove and Ibiza-drenched synths, Sir Magnus lays down a captivating Weeknd-style lead vocal, flipping from deep and soulful to a high falsetto effortlessly. It has the drops and build ups that you’d expect from any self respecting dance track and the production is top notch.
Lyrically, the song’s metaphor may well have been inspired by the Las Vegas casinos he is surrounded by, though he also cites the Netflix anime show Kakaguirui as artistic inspiration for this track. Either way, the words capture the similarity between gambling and risking getting your heart broken through love: “One last chip ain’t got nothing to lose, tell the dealer place a bet on you….”.
However, the chorus captures the euphoria of taking the risk and the excitement of flirting: “I’m in heaven, the rush is taking over me, I’m in heaven with all these risky games we like to play….”. Combined with its seductive melody and addictive musical backdrop, the effect is decidedly uplifting to the very end.
Overall, Gamble is a superb return release from Sir Magnus in collaboration with DJ Alex Robataillie. Seemingly tailor made for dancing to in the sun, Sir Magnus delivers a charismatic lead vocal full of melodic hooks and relatable lyrics which most will connect with. Having already experienced success and critical acclaim, Gamble could see Sir Magnus’s popularity soar to new heights and become a summertime hit in the clubs. Let’s hope the track gets the exposure it deserves.
The Faulkner Review 